Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Greater New Orleans

Change Region

comments

Kenner spent $41,000 on lawsuit filed by female firefighter

kenner and jefferson firefighters graduate

Among the graduates of a training program for Jefferson Parish and Kenner firefighters was one woman, Tanya Virgadamo (shown center), who sued for the job. The graduation took place on April 21, and ushered in the largest set of new recruits for Kenner in years, said Fire Chief John Hellmers -- an addition that he said will mean a great deal to the department.
(Barry Sprague, City of Kenner)

The city of Kenner spent $41,765 to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who said she faced discrimination when seeking a job with the Kenner fire department, according to records obtained by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune in a public records request.

The total includes $25,000 paid to plaintiff Tanya Virgadamo and the attorney who represented her, Clement Donelon. It also includes $16,765 paid to Alvin Bordelon Jr., the attorney hired by Kenner to defend the city and Fire Chief John Hellmers, named in both an individual and official capacity.

Virgadamo filed a lawsuit in May 2013 accusing Kenner and Hellmers of discrimination, retaliation and sex discrimination. According to the suit, Virgadamo applied to become a firefighter in November 2011, and received passing grades on required physical and mental exams. According to the suit, she sat through an interview where men asked potentially discriminatory questions, such as whether she would have issue with seeing men undressing at the firehouse. While the city continued hiring male firefighters, it turned down Virgadamo.

The city settled with Tanya Virgadamo on Oct. 15, in a agreement that included installing Virgadamo in its new class of firefighters, that began training Nov. 1, 2013. The city sought to keep the cost and details of the settlement secret by claiming it was confidential, even though it involves taxpayer money.

Resident Jack Zewe filed a public records request, seeking a copy of the settlement, its cost, and other information around Virgadamo's hiring. After his request was denied by City Hall, Zewe sued the city attorney in 24th Judicial District Court. His lawsuit asserts that his public records request overrides any confidentiality agreement.

While the city has not settled Zewe's suit, it provided several of the documents that Zewe requested to Zewe and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, which also filed a public records request for the information.

Zewe will not immediately drop his lawsuit, said his attorney Ronald Wilson. Wilson said that Zewe is also seeking other public information he has not yet received, including correspondence between city officials related to Virgadamo. As well, Zewe is seeking for Kenner to pay his costs and attorney's fees - a matter that Wilson said is graver than a simple tussle over dollars and cents. By not covering Zewe's costs, the city could be sending a message to taxpayers that public records requests are costly and slow-moving, Wilson said. "We don't want them to give the impression that they can delay and forestall honoring legitimate public records requests, and cause someone to spend money or otherwise give up a request."

Wilson said he believed that the lawsuit may be part of a broader trend, showing Kenner's hesitance to fulfill what he said were legitimate public records requests. "We haven't seen any willingness on their part to comply with the letter and spirit of the law. If it takes several more lawsuits before they to begin to do that, we'll do it."